This invention relates to a container, to be used notably as a building element and is of the type which comprises assembled wall elements and first assembly means which oppose an inward collapse of the wall elements.
Such containers are known; they further comprise a frame which supports said wall elements, and which is formed in integral beams connecting the container corners. The panel-shaped wall elements are so fastened to said frame as to fill the voids remaining between the beams (see for example UK Pat. Nos. 647,965; 1,347,177 and 1,603,613). The main drawback of such a container-like building elements lies in the frame having to absorb all by itself all the stresses acting on the container and consequently said frame has to be designed to be very strong and thus very heavy. Moreover when the panels are of a material different from that of the frame, problems of expansion factor differences arise. Due to such expansion factor difference, in critical environment conditions, for example, in case of rapid and significant temperature changes, some looseness may appear between said wall elements and frame, together with the resulting sealing deficiencies. On the other hand, breaks or permanent distortions in the wall elements may appear early, due to the expansion factor difference.
Frameless containers are also known wherein the stresses the container is subjected to, are directly absorbed in the panel unit. Such containers have the advantage of a lower weight and of lacking the drawbacks due to expansion factor differences between different materials. Such containers are simply formed by wall elements which are assembled by glueing. This assembly process involves the drawback of glue ageing. Moreover, the container which is notably designed to form a building element, should have strong and rigid walls, as the walls will be subjected to many stresses, notably the hooking of heavy apparatus on the inner surfaces of the container. It is very difficult under such conditions to make a container which takes into account these requirements and those concerning transport. Indeed, lifting containers formed by heavy wall elements which are only assembled by glueing, becomes quite a problem as regards the strength of the panel materials and the securement of the hooking elements.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved container which does not have the above drawbacks and which may be easily transported.